MALTA'S pension system
owes much of its current sta-
bility to inward migration, yet
a strategic review warns de-
mographic trends and housing
vulnerabilities could strain the
system.
The findings come from the
2025 Strategic Review on the
Adequacy, Sustainability, and
Solidarity of Malta's Pension
System.
Mandated by the Social Secu-
rity Act, the review every five
years examines whether pen-
sions remain financially viable,
socially equitable, and suffi-
cient to provide retirees with a
decent standard of living.
87% increase in contributors
The report emphasizes the
crucial role of foreign workers
in maintaining Malta's pay-as-
you-go pension system.
With a fertility rate of just
1.06 and an aging local work-
force, the country relies heav-
ily on inward migration to
balance contributions and pay
outs.
Between 2008 and 2023, so-
cial security contributors grew
from 151,000 to 283,000, an
87% surge largely driven by
migrant workers.
WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT
WEDNESDAY EDITION
€1.00
WEDNESDAY • 7 JANUARY 2026 • ISSUE 972 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY
EDITORIAL • PAGE 11
CONTINUES PAGE 2
Immigration keeps Malta's
pensions system afloat
CONTINUES PAGE 3
Zabbar local
council appeals
elderly home
development
permit
JAMES
DEBONO
jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt
Of the 245,000 foreign contributors between 2008 and 2023, only 5,736,
2.3%, earned pension entitlements, strategic review shows
The project was the
subject of a protest
last December
endorsed by senior
PL officials
Migration policy and labour participation remain central to pension sustainability
THE Ħaż-Żabbar Local Council
has appealed against the Planning
Authority's decision to approve an
elderly home in the centre of the
locality.
The proposed development, in
Misraħ tal-Madonna Medjatrici,
involves the demolition of an ex-
isting building.
Donald
Trump
MATTHEW
FARRUGIA
mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt
The main concern raised by the local
council is the project's proximity to the
iconic and protected parish church
